BOSS Jan Molby is having to play a wait-and-see game over Colin Larkin's fitness as Kidderminster Harriers prepare for tomorrow's Nationwide League Division Three match against basement club Carlisle United at Brunton Park (3pm).
The 19-year-old on-loan striker from Wolves was injured while scoring Harriers' winner in Tuesday's 1-0 LDV Vans Trophy first round triumph at Doncaster.
Molby said: "He took a whack on the knee and also the lower thigh which has given him a bit of a dead leg." He rates Larkin as having "no more than a 50-50" chance of being fit for the trip.
Defenders Adie Smith and Scott Stamps, who missed the Doncaster game because of injuries, are both set for a return to action.
Smith was ruled out with groin trouble while Stamps was suffering from a jarred neck.
Molby said of Smith: "He'll be fit. He has a groin problem that he carries with him all the time and whenever we find time to rest him we do."
Of Stamps, he said: "I'd be disappointed if he's not fit for tomorrow."
Eric Nixon will continue in goal in place of Stuart Brock, who sits out the third of his three-match ban tomorrow for being sent off in the home match against Swansea.
Nixon, a goalkeeping coach for Tranmere Rovers, was brought in to cover Brock's absence and Molby says: "Eric's kept two clean sheets and I'd love him to finish up with another tomorrow."
Molby, meanwhile, is warning his players not to under-estimate bottom-of-the-table Carlisle.
The Dane is anxious that steadily improving Harriers build on their unbeaten run of three matches, but is anticipating a stern test against the Cumbrians.
He said: "It's an important game for us. Carlisle are in the lower regions again, but they have got a new manager now and obviously trying to bring in new players. They had a good result the last time they played at home when they beat Bristol Rovers 1-0.
"I think we have seen already how difficult and tight it is in the league this season. It's probably going to be even tighter this year than it was last season and it's one of those games that we have got to go and make sure we don't get beaten."
Kidderminster (from): Nixon, Clarkson, Stamps, Bennett, Hinton, Smith, Shail, Bird, Williams, Broughton, Foster, Shilton, Blake, Larkin, Hadley, Murphy.
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